Monthly Archives: January 2016

Campbell Soup, Chipotle and The USDA (Part 1)

 

There’s been lot of food news recently which may have a significant impact on what you see when you look for something to eat.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their 5 year plan for what American should eat, The FBI launched an investigation of food poisoning at Chipotle Restaurants, and Campbell Soup has announced that they would list GMO ingredients in their soups.

The Advisory panel's suggestions to the USDA

The Advisory panel’s suggestions to the USDA

The USDA guidelines are a source of controversy every five years when they are published. In the past, the agency has been criticized for bending to the will of the food industry. Additionally the guidelines have often simply confused the American public which is asked to change their eating habits every five years. In truth, most American have thrown up their hands long ago noting study, after study showing contradictory guidance of what constitutes a healthy diet.

This week’s release contain a little of each. For example, the Guidelines do not recommend that Americans eat less red meat, as an advisory panel had recommended. The beef industry, which has already seen a downturn in consumption, was desperate to avoid any implication that their product was causing any health issues.

It does, just ask former President Bill Clinton, who had triple bypass surgery and is now a committed vegan. Any cardiologist will tell you that the amount of red meat eaten in this country is unhealthy. This says nothing of the environmental damage done by factory farms or the fact that using animals to convert plant material into protein is simply inefficient.

Many plants, such as beans, quinoa and rice, are already protein rich.

But to their credit, while the USDA did not adopt the dietary panel’s recommendations, they simply left the topic out. Probably the best we could hope for.

On the positive side, the USDA focused on sugar, telling Americans they eat too much processed sugar and carbohydrates. In my view, and the view of many others, this is the major cause of our national obesity/diabetes epidemic. It is one of the main reasons why, when Americans diet, they complain that they cannot lose weight. They are eating too many processed sugars and carbohydrates included in virtually every prepackaged food we buy.

The Guidelines also attempted to explain the difference between natural sugar, found in fruits and vegetable, and the process sugars. – a topic I have addressed here before.

So, all in all, the government guidelines may not be perfect, but they are certainly a step in the right direction.

Can Chipotle Make a Comeback (Part 2)

Another major food story this week involved the FBI investigation into the food poisoning at Chipotle restaurants.

I admit that Chipotle was my choice when I needed a quick lunch. I was lured in by their promise of a full meal of non GMO food sources.

But like many Americans, I have not been to Chipotle in weeks, ever since number of people at a Washington restaurant fell ill with food poisoning. No one died, and the pathogen is generally not life threatening, but who wants who wants to take a chance.Unknown

It always seemed strange to me that after so many years of successful operation the chain appeared to develop problems in so many restaurants at once. The company has pledged to get to the bottom of the problem and all of the restaurants from Boston to California, which experienced an outbreak, have since re-opened. Many fans of the chain are not fazed in the least, and even some financial analysts are bullish on the stock.

It’s odd that the FBI would decide to investigate a single resurant for an illness that is not life threatening. There has been no word from the FBI but attorney’s for patrons who have sued the chain  are convinced that there is some ‘smoking gun’ the FBI has found that will aid their cases. Conspiracy theorists suggest that rival restaurants have attempted to sabotage the chain.

I have no inside information on the food processing at Chipotle or the FBI investigation, but it’s hard to believe that a restaurant chain with no history of health issues would suddenly be faced with problems from multiple pathogens  in many locations around the United States within a short time period.

The chain says they are cooperating and expect a full rebound, but the fact that many fast-food chains have seen a decrease in profits, as Americans adopt a healthier diet,  suggests that an even deeper investigation is warranted.

Campbell Soup and GMO’s (Part 3)

Perhaps the most encouraging news on the food front recently was the Campbell Soup decision to label their foods that contain any ingredients that are genetically modified.

Make no mistake, this is a major decision, which is probably causing consternation at the soup company since they have long opposed GM labeling.

The move does not mean that you will be seeing any of the well-known GMO free certification labels on Campbell Soup cans, but it does mean that consumers will find a simple statement saying that some ingredients in the can were genetically modified.

According to an NPR report, “In a letter to the company’s employees, posted on Campbell’s website, Campbell’s CEO Denise Morrison wrote that the company was responding to the desires of consumers, but it also wanted to avoid multiple and conflicting demands for GMO labeling by individual states. “Printing a clear and simple statement on the label is the best solution for consumers and for Campbell,” Morrison wrote.”

Campbell posted a mock-up of one possible label on a can of Spaghetti-Os, with these words: “Partially produced with genetic engineering.”

Proponents of a labeling law, including the Environmental Working Group, the Just Label It campaign and US Right to Know, praised Campbell’s move.”

It’s not my intent, in this post, to rehash the GMO labeling debate or to offer comments on genetically modified food.

But I do think that the Campbell Soup decision could be a tipping point in the battle to have food labeled clearly. The move, combined with Whole Foods’ decision to label all their products relative to GMO content by 2018, will hopefully mean that action by individual states or Congress will not be necessary.

One of the reasons Campbell cited in their decision was a desire to avoid a hodgepodge of various state regulations on GMO labeling.

Hopefully other companies who have opposed GMO labeling will be convinced to follow Campbell Soup –  at least there is some hope.